BETWEEN NOISE AND POISE continued..

An Interview with K.K. Null by Robert Becraft

RB: What contemporary sound artists do you admire, if any? KN: Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band, because Don Van Vliet is a genius, I think.

RB: You have collaborated with world-renowned improvisers, but what makes a successful joint effort? Are collaborative albums results of reciprocal rapport or individual catharsis? KN: To me, a successful joint-effort is when the collaboration turns out to be better than what I had in my mind in the beginning.

RB: It seems as if you have collaborated with artists with musical inclinations slightly removed from your aesthetics: Jim O'Rourke with a pop-sensitivity, Haino Keiji with a less abrasive, fragile slant, and John Zorn with classically-trained precision and virtuosity. Do you think stylistic differences make a collaborative experience richer? Have any conflicts ever arisen during an improvisation session? KN: It depends. Sometimes some negative conflicts happen between the artists in general.

RB: How was performing in support of Mike Patton and Sonic Youth, both times in Melbourne, Australia, in a large festival setting? You weren't at all daunted by thousands of spectators? KN: It's a lot of fun to play to a large audience. When those who have never listened to my music get excited by my performance, I'm encouraged. So, I've never been daunted in such a situation.

RB: How would you describe your recent projects, Gugan, Ontoko, Government Null, Monster DVD, and the Null-Masonna unit, Ultimate Space Machine Nullsonic? Does the conceptual basis for these projects differ from Zeni Geva or your solo albums? KN: Gugan no longer exists, but was sort of free jazz. Ontoko is a duo project with Seiichi Yamamoto from the Boredoms and we both use guitars, samplers, and electronics, to make a sort of experimental "technoise." Government Null has developed into Monster DVD with Tabata from Zeni Geva; I play drums and a drum machine. It's "drum'n noise" [with] some spices of '70s Kraut Rock. Ultimate Space Machine Nullsonic is "cosmic sound/space music" created by analog synthesizers and the Nullsonic. These projects each have different musical ideas which are different from Zeni Geva and my solo projects.

RB: How did the Nullsonic come about? What allowed you to gain enough knowledge to start making sound equipment? Were technical and technological limitations felt during its development? What is the advantage of a self-made sound processor over a manufactured synthesizer? KN: Strictly speaking, the Nullsonic is not 100 percent self-made. It consists of manufactured effect pedals. I took time to experiment to find the best combination of effect pedals to generate unique sound with simple manipulation. That's the point.

RB: You have been a prolific administrator and an entrepreneur for new music as well as a prolific artist, organizing the first Japanese tours of Chicago veterans Shellac and Jim O'Rourke, running Nux Organization, and releasing numerous Zeni Geva and solo albums while taking part in countless projects. How is all this possible? KN: I love doing creative things. It's my life.

RB: How have audiences outside of Japan responded to your work differently? KN: There's no accounting for taste.

RB: Do you have plans to visit Chicago in the near future? If so where will you be performing? KN: Zeni Geva will have a brand new album 10,000 Light Years out on May 1 from Neurot Recording. We're planning to tour in the U.S. in late August. Of course, we'd like to play in Chicago, too. If time permits, I'd like to do a solo performance in Chicago as well. How about at your College?